CYCLOCROSS: Exact Cross Kortrijk – Urban Cross 2025 (BEL)

Kortrijk, Belgium13 Dec 2025 Class C2 - Class 2

wordpress_administrator 13/12/2025 2 minutes read

Kortrijk, Belgium13 Dec 2025 Class C2 – Class 2

The Exact Cross is not a generic term but is the name of one of the major, season-long professional cyclocross racing series held primarily in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Its history is marked by changes in its title sponsor, but it remains one of the premier competitions in the sport, alongside the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Superprestige, and the X²O Badkamers Trophy.

Here is a breakdown of the history of the series:

🚴 History of the Exact Cross Series

1. The Beginning: Brico Cross (2016–2019)

The series began under the sponsorship of the Belgian hardware chain Brico. This early phase helped establish a new, commercially attractive calendar of standalone races, bringing together several traditional and popular cyclocross venues.

2. The Middle Phase: Ethias Cross (2019–2022)

The Belgian insurance company Ethias took over as the main sponsor. The series was rebranded as the Ethias Cross. This period solidified the competition’s status as a top-tier event, consistently attracting the world’s best cyclocross riders.

3. The Current Name: Exact Cross (2022–Present)

In 2022, the Dutch enterprise software provider Exact became the new title sponsor, leading to the current name, the Exact Cross.

🏆 Key Characteristics of the Series

The Exact Cross is one of the “big four” cyclocross series, and it has some defining features:

Format: It typically consists of 6 to 8 separate rounds held throughout the fall and winter cyclocross season (usually October to February) in Belgium and the Netherlands.
No Overall Ranking: Unlike the World Cup, Superprestige, or X²O Trofee (which award points for an overall classification), the races within the Exact Cross are generally standalone events. While riders compete for a win in each specific Exact Cross race (like the Zilvermeercross or Waaslandcross), there is usually no single grand prize or overall series champion across all the rounds.
Prestige: Despite the lack of an overall classification, winning an Exact Cross event is highly prestigious, and the series is a key part of the annual cyclocross calendar, featuring regular appearances by the sport’s biggest stars (like Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert).